A TRIO of some of British television’s best-loved female characters has reunited for a stage version of the long-running sitcom, Birds of a Feather.

The BBC show starring Pauline Quirke, Lesley Joseph and Linda Robson, was a huge hit with audiences and ran for almost an entire decade in the 1990s.

Lesley played neighbour from hell and resident man-eater Dorien Green.

She told What's On that a preview show in Leatherhead had received a standing ovation and it felt like people had waited for years to see the characters return.

“It feels really good – it feels fantastic, it just feels like putting on an old glove – I played Dorien for 10 years and she is a wonderful character.

“You see a little more about what makes her tick in this show,” she explained.

“I played her for 10 years – she has changed, but all the characters still have the same old elements that made the three of them lovable.”

However, the actress said some sacrifices had to be made to transform into Dorien once more.

“I had to go on a strict diet and lost 17 pounds to get into her skintight clothes,” she said, adding that one thing she did change this time around was Dorien’s habit of wearing long, false nails.

“I did some exercise and practised eating much less – it was not difficult, just required a little bit of control.”

For those people who may be worried how Birds of a Feather could translate from the screen to the stage, Lesley assured the audience that taking the show into a new medium was not a problem. “The main thing is it works - it is a fantastic piece of theatre,” she said about the show’s rebirth for the stage.

Sitcom sisters, the show’s characters Sharon Theodopolopoudos (Quirke) and Tracy (Robson), are keeping the updated version in the family.

Each of their real life sons, Charlie and Louis, take turns in playing the role of Tracy’s teenage son.

Lesley said the three had never lost touch with each other and it was “extraordinary” falling back into the characters.

“It is a bit unlike any other piece I have ever done – seems more like a family, it is lovely,” she said.

A long way from the show’s setting in Chingford, Lesley said that she was looking forward to visiting the New Victoria Theatre. "I have been to Woking many times over the years, they are a good audience,” she added.

Birds of a Feather will be live on stage between Monday March 26 and Saturday March 31 at 7.30pm, with two matinees on the Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets cost between £11.50 and £26.50, call the box office on 0844 871 7645.